Inflatable air mattress



Se t. 27, 1966 J. NOERDINGER 3,274,624

INFLATABLE AIR MATTRESS Filed April 28, 1964 d/' I INVENTOR. 14 1 Cut/all Maize/wig irrae/vir United States Patent 3,274,624 INFLATABLE AIR MATTRESS Claude J. Noerdinger, 3825 Rumford St.,

Palo Alto, Calif. Filed Apr. 28, 1964, Ser. No. 363,105 Claims. (Cl. 5345) This invention relates to a mattress and, more particularly, to an inflatable air mattress of a type especially suited for use as a campers item.

An air mattress is a useful item for providing camping comfort if it has the desirable features of economy, lightness, durability, foldability, occupying a minimum volume when folded, ease of inflation, ease of location of leaks should they occur and ease of repair thereof, lack of need for special tools or skills to effect any such repairs, and maximum reliability consistent with the other desirable features. Most of these features are obtainable today in commercially available inflatable air mattresses. However, important features which are not readily available are ease of inflation and deflation of the mattress, ease of location of any leaks therein, and ease of repair of such leaks without the requirement for special tools and skills. Also, inflatable air mattresses sold today have fixedly determined dimensions especially in the transverse direction. That is to say, no means are provided in such mattresses for changing or varying the transverse dimension thereof so that they can be tailored to the dimensional requirements of various sleeping bags, which vary considerably in size.

It is known that arrangements have been proposed to facilitate inflation and deflation of air mattresses, to facilitate the location of any leaks that may develop therein, and to permit alteration in the transverse size thereof. However, so far as is known, all such proposed arrangements have been commercially unacceptable because of cost limitations, inconvenience in use, and other impracticalities.

Accordingly, a general object of the present invention is to provide an improved inflatable air mattress having all of the desirable features heretofore enumerated that are present in commercially available mattresses and which, in addition thereto, has the advantage of comprising a plurality of selectively separable cells or units individually inflatable and deflatable whereupon the location of a leak is readily determined, resistance to the flow of air into and out of the mattress is reduced and the flow of air thereby facilitated, and the transverse dimension of the mattress is readily changed by either increasing or decreasing the number of cells comprised by the mattress.

Specific objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an inflatable air mattress embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, broken perspective sectional view taken along the plane 22 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged, broken perspective sectional view generally similar to that of FIGURE 2 but illustrating complementary fastener structures of adjacent mattress cells in a state of partial interlock.

The inflatable air mattress illustrated in FIGURE 1 is designated in its entirety with the numeral 10. The mattress comprises a plurality of individual cells or units each of which is essentially in the nature of an inflatable tube. There are six such cells comprising the mattress 10, and these cells are respectively designated with the numerals 11 through 16, inclusive.

As shown most clearly in FIGURE 2, each of the cells comprises a casing 17 defining a pressurizable compartment or chamber 18 therewithin. Each of the casings 17 is formed of a flexible material that is not self sustaining and is collapsible upon deflation of the chamber 18. As a result, the mattress 10 may be folded into a compact, small-volume mass permitting ready portability thereof.

Each of the cells is equipped with valve structure communicating with the associated pressurizable chamber 18 and through which such chamber is selectively inflated and deflated. In the specific illustration of the mattress shown in FIGURE 1, there are six such valve structures respectively associated with the cells 11 through 16 and denoted for identification with the numerals 19 through 24, inclusive. Each of the valve structures are completely conventional and, for example, may be the usual stemequipped valve of the type used with automobile tires and the tubes thereof. As is well known, the stems of such valves are biased into a normally closed position, but air under pressure operative thereagainst may displace the valve stem into an open position suflicient to permit the ingress of air therethrough into the associated pressurizable chamber. Such chamber may be deflated by manually depressing the valve stem toward the open position thereof or by partially removing the stem from the valve structure.

Each of the cells 11 through 16 is elongated in one dimension to provide a longitudinally extending configuration. In transverse section, each of the cells has a greater horizontal or transverse dimension than the vertical dimension thereof and, therefore, has a generally oblong, although symmetrical, configuration. It is evident, however, that the precise geometry of each of the cells is not critical nor are the actual dimensions thereof.

Each of the cells is equipped along the diametrically opposite longitudinal surface portions thereof with fastener structures which enable the cells to be releasably interconnected in side by side relation. In the specific embodiment illustrated, the two fastener structures provided by any cell are substantially identical except that they are reversely disposed and, therefore, face in opposite directions. Such two fastener structures are complementary and, therefore, may releasably interconnect with the respectively complementary fastener structures of any other cell.

More specifically, each cell is provided with a first fastener structure 25 that extends laterally outwardly from one side or longitudinal surface portion thereof and with a second fastener structure 26 that extends laterally outwardly from the opposite side or diametrically opposed longitudinal surface portion. Each of the fastener structures is substantially continuous or uninterrupted and extends longitudinally along the cell essentially from end to end thereof. With respect to the complementary character of the structures 25 and 26, each fastener 25 extends outwardly from the right hand surface of its associated cell, as viewed in FIGURES 1 through 3, and is downwardly facing. Each fastener 26 extends outwardly from the left hand side of its associated cell and is upwardly facing.

As will be even more evident hereinafter, each of the cells is substantially symmetrical in a rotational sense as concerns the fastener structure so that if, for example, the cell 15, as viewed in FIGURE 2, were rotated along its longitudinal axis through substantially 180 degrees, the fastener 25 would be upwardly facing. In effect, therefore, it would become a left hand fastener 26, and at the same time, the opposite fastener would become a right hand, downwardly facing fastener 25. Such pure syrnmetry of each cell may be attained if the valve structure associated therewith extends outwardly from an end surface thereof rather than from either the top or bottom surfaces. It may be noted that the fastener structure 25 is offset slightly in one direction relative to a transverse or generally horizontal plane through the cell, and that the fastener 26 is correspondingly offset in the opposite direction therefrom. Therefore, when any two fastener structures 25 and 26 are interconnected, as shown in FIGURE 2, a condition of substantial equality is established by the interconnected fasteners with respect to such transverse plane.

Each of the fastener structures comprises one or more cooperative elements adapted to interlockingly connect with the corresponding elements of a complementary fastener structure. In the embodiment being considered, such cooperative elements are provided by male and female components in the form of a pair of ribs or tongues 27 and 28 and a pair of channels or recesses 29 and 30. Thus, the ribs 27 and 28 of one fastener structure are adapted to be respectively received within the channels 29 and 30 of a complementary fastener structure and to be frictionally gripped by the walls of such channels with a force sufficient to resist inadvertent separation thereof.

Each of the fastener structures is relatively rigid with respect to the flexible casing 17 of the associated cell, and includes along one side of the cell and extending substan tially from end to end thereof an uninterrupted strip which is generally planar along one of its surfaces. The opposite surface of the strip has the aforedescribed alternate ribs and channels formed therealong.

Evidently, the fastener structure, although stiff relative to the casing 17, must be sufficiently flexible to permit the mattress ltl'to be deflated and folded into a compact, low-volume mass for storage and transport. It also will be evident that the ribs 27 and 28 contribute to the relative stiffness of the fastener structure by defining areas of increased thickness therealong. 4 Additionally, when any two fastener structures 25 and 26 are interlockingly connected, as shown in FIGURE 2, the combined thickness thereof in a direction generally normal to the plane of the mattress or planes of the fastener structures, is quite significant, and the two fasteners form a web between adjacent cells. As a result, any two interconnected cells define an I-beam structure with rigidity characteristics akin thereto. Thus, While each cell, especially in the deflated condition thereof, is flexible and can be folded into a compact mass, adjacent cells when inflated and interconnected attain rigidity characteristics greater than the sum of the individual rigidities because of the effective I-beam configurations.

The described fastener structure is highly resistive to separation upon the application of force to the mattress in the plane thereof. That is to say, the various interconnected fastener structures 26 and 25 do not tend to separate as a consequence of the weight of a person being supported by the mattress or even upon impact forces being applied thereto as when a person first disposes himself upon the mattress or later removes his weight therefrom. On the other hand, the fastener structures are readily separated when oppositely directed force components are applied thereto in a plane generally normal to the transverse plane of the mattress. 1

More particularly, and referring to FIGURE 3, if an upwardly directed force or force component is applied to the fastener 25 relative to the fastener 26, or if at the same time a downwardly directed force component is simultaneously applied to the fastener structure 26, such structures tend to peel away from each other with the result that the fastener structures are progressively separated by relative incremental displacements along the length thereof. Such peeling separation of the fastener structures restricts the frictional resistive forces as defined between the ribs 27 and 28 and the respectively gripping channels 29 and 30 to relatively small values because only incremental areas of the ribs and channels and the small frictional force values defined by such incremental areas are effective to oppose ahe separating forces being applied to the fastener structures. Thus, although the fastener structures are effective to resist unwanted separae tion of the interconnected cells, such cells are readily separated, when desired, by applying peeling forces to the interconnecting fastener structures 25 and 26 along a longi tudinally extending plane generally normal to the plane of the mattress. Further, the interconnected fastener structures are separated more readily when the associated cells are completely or partially deflated.

The cells may be formed from various flexible, substantially air impervious materials such as rubber, either natural or synthetic, or one of the plastic materials customarily used for the same or analogous purposes as, for example, a synthetic resin, thermo plastic such as polyethylene. techniques as, for example, by conventional polyethylene extrusion procedures in which the casing 17 is formed of an extruded soft plasticized polyethylene material and the fastener structures are extruded integrally therewith but of a more rigid polyethylene. Thereafter, the integrally extruded casing and fasteners can be severed into appropriate lengths, and the casing heat sealed or otherwise sealed at the ends thereof to form the individual inflatable cells.

Another fabrication technique, for example, is to extrude one strip which would be cut into lengths to form the respective fastener structures 25 and 26. The pressurizable casing 17 could be a thin calendered film of polyethylene cut and heat sealed to form the individual cells. Each cell and the fastener structures therefor, would then be united by conventional heat sealing techniques.

A mattress of the type described may have all of the advantages concerning lightness, compact tfoldability, reliability, etc., as heretofore described and, in addition, is readily changed in transverse dimension simply by removing one or more cells from the mattress or by adding cells thereto. Moreover, should a leak develop in the mat tress, it does not make the same useless because only one cell should be affected by an one lea k. As a consequence, the location of the leak can be determined with relative ease and then repaired or, conveniently, the entire cell may be replaced. Also the mattress can be inflated and deflated with a substantial degree of ease in that the resistance to the flow of air into and out of the mattress is restricted, to a principal extent, to that caused by an in-. dividual valve because lon-g tubing interconnecting the various cells has been obviated.

Although the various interconnected cells are readily separated by application thereto of a stripping or peeling force along a plane generally normal to the plane of the mattress, normal force applications to the mattress are ineffective to cause separation of the adjacent cells because together such adjacent cells have strength char-ac teristics corresponding to the I-beam configuration thereof.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making an adequate disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A resilient mattress, comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending cells disposed in side by side relation and being releasably interconnected along adjacent longitudinal surface portions thereof to enable cells to be interchanged one for another and also to enable the transverse dimension of the mattress to be selectively altered, said cells being respectively equipped along each of such longitudinal surface portions thereof with fasten-' er structure for effecting such releasable interconnection of said cells, and the fastener structures carried by any one cell along the respective longitudinal surface portions thereof being complementary and having cooperative elements interlockingly connected with the corresponding elements of the associated fastener structure of the cell adjacent thereto, saidcooperative elements being resistive of separation tending to be enforced thereon by ap- Also the cells may be fabricated by various" plication of force thereto in the general plane of said mattress but being susceptible of ready separation by application of force thereto in a direction generally normal to such plane, each pair of interlocking connected fastener structures being disposed intermediate the edges of the cells corresponding to the top and bottom of said mattress and each such pair of connected fastener structures defining with the associated cells and I-beam-type configuration in which the adjacent cells are spaced from each other by the intervening fastener structure, such interconnected fastener structures in cooperation with the associated cells being effective to stiffen the mattress as well as interconnect the cells.

2. An inflatable air mattress, comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending cells each of which constitutes a flexible casing defining along the length thereof an inflatable pressurizable enclosure, said cells being disposed in side by side relation and being releasably interconnected along adjacent longitudinal surface portions thereof to enable cells to be interchanged and also to enable the transverse dimension of said mattress to be selectively altered, said cells being respectively equipped along each of such longitudinal surface portions thereof with fastener structure for effecting such releasable interconnection of said cells, and the fastener structures being stiff relative to the casings and those fastener structures carried by any one cell along the respective longitudinal surface portions thereof being disposed in oppositely facing complementary orientation and having cooperative elements interlockingly connected with the corresponding elements of the associated fastener structure of the cell adjacent thereto, said cooperative elements being resistive of separation tending to be enforced thereon by application of force thereto in the general plane of said mattress but being susceptible of ready separation by application of force thereto in a direction generally normal to such plane, each pair of interlockingly connected fastener structures being disposed intermediate the edges of the cells corresponding to the top and bottom of said mattress and each such pair of connected fastener structures defining with the associated cells an I-beam-type configuration in which the adjacent cells are spaced from each other by the intervening fastener structure, such interconnected fastener structures in cooperation with the associated cells being effective to stiffen the mattress as well as to interconnect the cells.

3. The inflatable air mattress of claim 2 in which the fastener structures of any one cell are offset in opposite directions with respect to a central plane located between the aforesaid top and bottom of said mattress so that any two interconnected fastener structures are substantially symmetrically located relative to such plane.

4. The inflatable air mattress of claim 3 in which said fastener structures extend substantially from end to end of the cells associated therewith, and in which each fastener structure is provided Wit-h both male and female elements comprising such cooperative elements and being arranged and disposed so as to make each cell reversible top to bottom, the male elements of one fastener structure being receivable within the female elements of a complementary fastener structure and being frictionally gripped thereby.

5. The inflatable air mattress of claim 4 in which each of said male elements comprises a substantially uninterrupted rib extending from end -to end of the fastener structure associated therewith, in which each of said female elements comprises a substantially uninterrupted channel similarly extending from end to end of the associated fastener structure, and in which each of the aforesaid pressurizable enclosures is flow-isolated from the others and is equipped with a valve structure through which it can be selectively inflated and deflated.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24, 61 3 3 1959 Hageltorn 15 052 1,569,937 1/ 1926 Turner 5-348 2,415,150 2/1947 Stein 5-348 FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

A. M. CALVERT, Assistant Examiner, 

1. A RESILIENT MATTRESS, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING CELLS DISPOSED SIDE BY SIDE RELATION AND BEING RELEASABLY INTERCONNECTED ALONG ADJACENT LONGITUDINAL SURFACE PORTIONS THEREOF TO ENABLE CELLS TO BE INTERCHANGED ONE FOR ANOTHER AND ALSO TO ENABLE THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSION OF THE MATTRESS TO BE SELECTIVELY ALTERED, SAID CELLS BEING RESPECTIVELY EQUIPPED ALONG EACH OF SUCH LONGITUDINAL SURFACE PORTIONS THEREOF WITH FASTENER STRUCTURE FOR EFFECTING SUCH RELEASABLE INTERCONNECTION OF SAID CELLS, AND THE FASTENER STRUCTURES CARRIED BY ANY ONE CELL ALONG THE RESPECTIVE LONGITUDINAL SURFACE PORTIONS THEREOF BEING COMPLEMENTARY AND HAVING SURFACE PORTIONS MENTS INTERLOCKINGLY CONNECTED WITH THE CORRESPONDING ELEMENTS OF THE ASSOCIATED FASTENER STRUCTURE OF THE CELL ADJACENT THERETO, SAID COOPERATIVE ELEMENTS BEING RESISTIVE OF SEPARATION TENDING TO BE ENFORCED THEREON BY APPLICATION OF FORCE THERETO IN THE GENERAL PLANE OF SAID MATTRESS BUT BEING SUSCEPTIBLE OF READY SEPARATION BY APPLICATION OF FORCE THERETO IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY NORMAL TO SUCH PLANE, EACH PAIR OF INTERLOCKING CONNECTED FASTENER STRUCTURES BEING DISPOSED INTERMEDIATE THE EDGES OF THE CELLS CORRESPONDING TO THE TOP AND BOTTOM OF SAID MATTRESS AND EACH SUCH PAIR OF CONNECTED FASTENER STRUCTURES DEFINING WITH ASSOCIATED CELLS AND I-BEAM-TYPE CONFIGURATION IN WHICH THE ADJACENT CELLS ARE SPACED FROM EACH OTHER BY THE INTERVENING FASTENER STRUCTURE, SUCH INTERCONNECTED FASTENER STRUCTURES IN COOPERATION WITH THE ASSOCIATED CELLS BEING EFFFECTIVE TO STIFFEN THE MATTRESS AS WELL AS INTERCONNECT THE CELLS. 